Car Troubles

It's officially been over a week since I landed in Winnipeg (yay).  So far so good; I'm settling into my place and exploring more of the city.  As outlined in a previous post, I've explored a lot of the Osbourne/Corydon area already.  Now I'm venturing out even further! So far I've walked to the Forks/St. Boniface and I've taken a bus out to Polo Park a few times (mostly because I've had interviews in the area - it's a good thing though, I don't know the west end commercial area at all).  My most exciting adventure yet was attempting to find a Bulk Barn because I wanted to get things like Almond Butter and Chia Seed and Superstore is really far.  Well, Bulk Barn is of equal distance (sigh). I decided that the easiest one for me to get to given my knowledge of the city would be the Regent location between Elmwood and Transcona (right where Kildonan Place is).  No matter which location I chose, I'd have to take a minimum of two buses.

I got to the area via the Monroe bus fairly easily (although the Monroe bus takes you all around Elmwood before finally getting to Kildonan Place).  This was actually a good thing and it goes to show that it's surprising what you know based on instinct. So far in Winnipeg I have been directionally-challenged (to say the least) and I never seem to have any idea of which direction I'm going in or where I am at any given time.  But as soon as I cross the river into either Elmwood or St. B, I know exactly where I am.  Everything looks familiar and it is much less terrifying (although it's terrifying in a whole different way *coughNairncough*). Taking the long route to Kildonan Place gave me the opportunity to experience this odd type of nostalgia and a feeling of comfort knowing where I am (even though my knowledge of the transit system still leaves something to be desired).

All in all, my trip to Bulk Barn and back took me 3 hours. 3 HOURS.

I need to buy a car.

Which is another interesting problem I've had so far in Manitoba... I can't legally prove where I live and apparently they don't do sworn statements here.  This address confirmation is not only important for switching my license over, but is required for insurance purposes as well. I have no problem proving my identity.  I have a bank account, but I don't have anything else with my Manitoba address on it.  The Manitoba Public Insurance people are extremely picky with what they require for proof of address. The conversation I had at the office trying to switch over my license was even better:

"Where are you from?" British Columbia.

"Do you have a lease?" No.

"Where did you file your taxes?" Quebec.

"What?"  It's best to not ask.

"Do you have any utility bills in your name?" No.

"Do you have a Manitoba health card?" Not yet. I won't get it until August.

"Do you have a bank account with your Manitoba address on it?" Yes.

"GOOD. There's one!" Can I use a MasterCard bill? Or a cell phone bill?

"No."  Oh. Okay, what about Contents Insurance given that I legally have to be living at that address for my insurance to be valid.

"No." All right then. What do I do?

"Are you employed?" Not yet. Would you accept a sworn statement?

"We don't do that here."  I see. So what should I do?

"Well, wait until you're employed and then get your employer to write a confirmation and then have them sign it." What if my employment is conditional on my access to a reliable vehicle?  I'll need to insure said vehicle in Manitoba.

"Yeah. This is pretty ridiculous. I'm sorry. I have no idea.  You'll need to get another document or your application won't be approved."  Yeah. Okay. I'll see what I can do.

So on top of the stress of trying to find a vehicle, I now have to find some way of insuring it in Manitoba. I was also told that they do not take any bills or bank statements that look like they've been printed yourself.  I can understand being protective if there was some great benefit to being a Manitoba resident. But there isn't. Licensing is way more expensive ($65 a year vs. $80 for five years in BC) and insurance rates are very similar to ICBC. There is something called a Vehicle Registration Card that the Manitoba government will take as proof of address, but I'm not sure if I would obtain this card when I buy a car.  So I'll have to go to the dealership and find out.  In the mean time, the great car search continues - And the great job search (I had a couple of interviews last week so I hope that something pans out for me in the next few weeks).

Does anyone have any strong car opinions? I'm looking for something reliable, small and fuel efficient. Depending on where I work, I may not actually drive it to work, so it would just be my pleasurecraft. Price wise, I'm looking for something used, somewhere in the 8-15k neighbourhood.  I'm really picky when it comes to how the vehicle actually rides and how much I can see out of it (some of my most hated cars: The Toyota Yaris and the Honda Fit). I was thinking:

1. Honda Civic
2. Suzuki Swift
3. Mazda2 (or 3)
4. Ford Fiesta (or Focus)
5. Hyundai Accent (I had one before in Kelowna, and you can pick them up for virtually nothing now)
6. Honda CR-V (a girl can dream)

At this point I'm totally open to suggestions, so leave a comment!  A post 2005 vehicle would be what I'm looking at.

I'm going back to Unburger tonight, and I can't wait to review it.  I wanted to wait since the last time I was there I had a chicken burger and it seems like sacrilege to review a burger place without trying the beef.